Fun Show!

I went to the gun show yesterday. That probably seems like no big deal to most of the people who may see this, but I don't get out to the shows very often. I don't have a lot of cash to spend and I do have a lot of work to do around here, not to mention two teenagers and a toddler who are competing to see who can throw the most red-faced stomping fits per day.

But this time, a friend called me up and asked me to man the Sangamon County Rifle Association table, so I had a good excuse. It would have been a good time to take the two oldest boys off my wife's hands for awhile, but they decided to melt down and try to kill each other shortly before I left, so they were stuck stewing on their beds as I snuck out the door before My Bride could stop me. I suggested that she use our movie theater gift cards to take the boys to the movies and sit in a separate theater, but I gather their behavior never recovered.

That was all too bad for her, but I had a great time. The show was surprisingly well-attended for a Sunday afternoon with a wind chill below zero, and the people I talked to were all enthusiastic about gun rights. McDonald v. Chicago is creating a lot of excitement, and Illinois has primary battles for Governor and Senator going on right now. And I worked the table with Tom Shafer, a former city firefighter with a cable access show and a story for every occasion. Tom never disappoints; he'll make the time pass. Actually, I can admit now that Tom was the guy who used a Glock to stop a home invader back in November; his assailant pled guilty and has been dealt with by the law at this point, so everything is settled. Those of you who are familiar with Tom will realize how dumb it was to try to break in his door in the middle of the night.

Tom was the one who told me about the local news (WICS Newschannel 20) report on the gun show. Now, Channel 20 is the station that thought the most important thing to find out about the IGOLD event last March was whether the Capitol security had caught any of the 3-5,000 gun owners who marched "trying to sneak a gun into the Capitol." That was a step up from the year before, when 2500 marched and WICS declined to cover the event. We're used to this, of course, but we've always understood that we had no friends at Channel 20 and why.

But things are changing all over, and it looks like maybe the news room at TV 20 can feel a change in the wind. They put out this fluffy puff piece on this weekend's show, and I still don't know why. But I approve.

Cook 911 from CA69, we are 10-76 to City Hall at this time . . . .

. . . . for a report of a burst forehead vein in the Mayor's Office . . . . . (no, I've never run in Chicago, I have no idea whether they're dispatched by 911 or their hospitals or the CFD or what, nor do I know whether any of them have the call sign "CA69.")

So, Daley's had kind of a weird week. Despite Tamara's lack of confidence in Shortshanks' clout, he threw enough weight to get President Obama to fly to Denmark in an unprecedented Presidential lobbying campaign for the Chicago Olympics. Yay Shortshanks.

But now the Supreme Court is stepping in to decide whether the 2nd Amendment should be incorporated to apply against the states and local governments, such as Chicago and Illinois, and most legal experts predict that this is like having Michael Jordan offer to settle your bet that no one can dunk from the free-throw line. You're not just about to lose, you're about to become the sad part of a highlight reel.

Supreme Court will decide whether 2nd Amendment protects Chicago gun rights

The Chicago Gun Rights Examiner has weighed in, of course, and I'm working on talking to the plaintiffs in the case, though of course they have to take their lawyers' advice as regards public statements.

Larry Correia is Getting Old

When I began this blog, I started by slagging some people whose success made me jealous, in the hope that I might bring them down to my level, thus making myself feel like a Big Man. Now I've given this place a new name and a new look, so I figure it's time to pick a new target and let him have it.

You saw the title. Larry Correia is aging by the day . . . and today is his birthday. He's getting old. Death is creeping ever closer through tall grass, its tail twitching, nose to the ground . . . full of the scent of Correia blood.

You might think having a beautiful wife and delightful children and writing books that rescue the entire vampire genre from sparkly vegetarian irrelevance and sell like hotcakes would offer some solace, but trust me, it's just another day gone. Jealousy is an ugly thing. I'm glad I don't suffer with it; must be tough for people who do.

(All bullshit aside, Larry, happy birthday. Give 'em hell at the ITRC!)

Hero Gear Shoot Photo Roundup

Joe Lundberg at Hero Gear says there were over 600 gigabytes of photographs taken at the Hero Gear shoot, so you can imagine there may well be more, but some of the photographers there were taking photos as their jobs, so the fun stuff may take longer to percolate. If there are future roundups, they'll be new posts linked to this one. Click on the photo to be linked to the page described--don't accept looking at these small link photos or you'll miss out!

The Urban Shooter Podcast (Kenn Blanchard) about the Hero Gear gathering:

Black Man with a BIG gun--that's McCann Industries' new Garand in .458 Win Mag. A Garand capable of taking any game species on the planet. It's amazing . . . . but sadly, it apparently doesn't go "ping!"

Oleg Volk's Gallery of Hero Gear PhotosHere's Erika shooting the same Kel-Tec RFB I'm holding in my new page banner. It's a lot more fun to look at than my new page banner.

Skunkabilly's Flickr Photostream
For all you old TFL and THR hands, yes, this is that Skunkabilly. I actually got my son to ask Skunk to show him his carbon-fiber leg at lunch the first day.
Oh, and that's the mortar Kane fired.

Steve Rogers' Gallery

You can't really appreciate this photo in this size, so click on it. Now. The .50 BMG is powerful ballistically, but the unbridled fury of the muzzle brake is astounding.

Randy Samos' Gallery

The Momentum Foundation's helicopter was there for photo ops.

HisAmishness' GalleryWhen Randy sees a police vehicle, even a quasi-police vehicle, he just can't stop the instincts. Standard positions are assumed with alacrity. I can only assume this is due to years of repeated, consistent conditioning.

AR15.com Discussion Thread
"KEEP TENNESSEE ZOMBIE FREE"
You can buy this shirt at www.hero-gear.com

AR15Armory.com Discussion Thread

Oleg wonders who farted? I'm only guessing from the photo.

TN Gun Owners Discussion ThreadThe cave in which this was shot is an amazing place--deceptively deep, with tricky footing, but full of bats, with the roof full of micah and quartz that looks like the milky way when you aim a flashlight upward. It's also full of flint deposits that were mined by paleo-indian tribes thousands of years ago, and Nordeck Johnson, the owner of Round Cove, is an expert on their ways, tools and weapons who can tell you some surprising things. How about paleolithic people who could carry a single long spear, "reloading" it on the run after wounding prey as large as mastodon? The technology changes, but the basic problems really don't.

Dave Hardy: Crazy Old Pirate

I love David Hardy. There. I've said it and I'm glad.

Celebration Two: Spurious Chicago Gun Charge Dismissed--Now With Corrections!

First, the good news:
C.K. Morley is not going to prison. Morley was "caught" carrying an unloaded handgun in a case a few months ago in Chicago. He was not charged with violating Chicago's registration law, but with a charge of Unlawful Use of a Weapon under state law. The trouble with that charge is that he was carrying a lawfully-owned handgun unloaded in a case, and he has a FOID card. That means that the UUW statute does not apply. This is not a matter of interpretation, no matter how many prosecutors don't get it. Even the judge in Morley's case, in issuing the order to dismiss the charges a few days ago, admitted to Chris that the case had taught him something new; until Morley's lawyer pointed out the statute, he'd assumed that a gun had to be disassembled in order to be transported legally. But the statute is very clear:

(c) This Section does not apply to or affect the transportation or possession of weapons that:

(i) are broken down in a non functioning state; or
(ii) are not immediately accessible; or
(iii) are unloaded and enclosed in a case, firearm carrying box, shipping box, or other container by a person who has been issued a currently valid Firearm Owner's Identification Card.

The really good thing about this case is the way that gun owners came together to send money and help so Morley could prevail. C.K. Morley has a long history of giving his time and money to other gun owners caught in similar circumstances. He helped raise money and bring in volunteers to pack courtrooms when John Horstman, Vana Haggerty, and Roderick Pritchett were being railroaded in similar fashion (Horstman had his charges dropped and won a $50,000 settlement against his prosecutors, Haggerty had the UUW charges dropped, and Pritchett prevailed in a bench trial in Cook County.) Now it's his turn, and although I wouldn't wish this experience on him, I'm glad people are trying to help.

Now, the bad news.
By my math, the money raised so far amounts to $2,500 or less. The donation buckets passed around IGOLD brought in more than that! More importantly, I doubt Morley's lawyer (Walter Maksym, the guy I'd want to hire if I were in the same predicament) can afford all the work on this case for $2,500. I don't know whether C.K. has found a new job yet, but his marriage is apparently on the rocks and he's living with friends. I think it's time for us all to think about whether we care about helping C.K. Morley get over all the effects of this arrest, or whether we were donating money so he could win a court case that could have affected us. It's going to take a lot more if we intend to help Morley get back on his feet. What are we willing to give?

Checks payable to Walter Maksym and Associates can be mailed directly:

Walter Maksym
c/o Gun Owners Fellowship
605 Fulton Avenue
Rockford, IL 61103
(please make checks payable to Walter Maksym and put "for CKMorley Defense Fund" on the checks)

. . . or PayPal donations can be made to FELLOWSHIP@ICARRY.ORG with comments indicating that the money is to go to C.K. Morley.


(There were three very serious errors in this post when I posted it. They were entirely my fault. Normally I'd leave any errors in place and strike through them so it's clear just how dumb I am, but leaving these errors in place could have caused problems for others, so they've simply been removed. Thanks to everyone who pointed out these problems!)

IL Sheriffs Association Resolution in Favor of CCW

Just for the record, and so I can find it when I want it:

Illinois Sheriffs’ Association
RESOLUTION 2009-1

Whereas, the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association is a statewide organization representing the one hundred and two Sheriffs of Illinois who are constitutional officers who have sworn to uphold the constitution of the United States and the State of Illinois; and

Whereas, the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association conducted a survey of Sheriffs across Illinois; and,

Whereas, ninety percent (90%) of those responding support concealed carry in Illinois if adequate training and safeguards are included; and,

Whereas, the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association Legislative Committee met on November 19, 2008, and appointed a special committee consisting of Sheriffs from all geographic areas of the state and that committee has met and discussed the specific recommendations for the procedures in obtaining a concealed carry permit; and;

Whereas, the committee has formulated their recommendations to the Executive Board of the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association and the Executive Board has recommended that this resolution be presented to the full body at our General Session on Tuesday, February 3, 2009, at the Winter Training Conference in Moline, Illinois; and,

Whereas, the general provisions of a conceal carry act in Illinois should include the following:

1. Permits should be issued by a state agency to insure consistency in evaluation and screening.
2. Individuals who receive a concealed carry permit should receive adequate training including basic knowledge of firearms, the proper handling of a firearm, live fire exercises for range qualification, instruction and testing on use of force as a citizen including the liability of that use.
3. Applications should be processed by the Sheriff’s office including the ability of the Sheriff to articulate specified reasons why the permit should be denied and those objections should be considered by the state before issuing a permit.
4. For the purpose of officer safety, a concealed carry permit should be an identifiable code, background or other means to show that an individual has been issued a permit to carry a concealed firearm on the person’s driver’s license, FOID card and state identification.

Therefore, be it resolved, this 3rd day of February, 2009, that the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association, by a majority of those voting, support the right of law abiding citizens to possess and carry a concealed firearm for the purpose of protecting their life and families; and be it further resolved that a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to the General Assembly of the State of Illinois.

Freakin' sweet. And yes, I know some of their conditions above look onerous to some of us, but hey, folks, we're already negotiating for the "right" to purchase a license in order to exercise a Constitutional right. This is still major progress in Illinois.

We're The Only Ones Pleasantly Surprising You Enough

Police in Illinois take a lot of flak.

They're stuck enforcing the law in a place where a lot of the laws stink on ice. And a significant number of them work in the Chicago metro area, a place even worse than Illinois when it comes to stupid laws. All this is true . . . . but:

The Illinois Sheriffs' Association has come out in favor of concealed carry in Illinois.

Why? Well, there could be a few reasons. Here are a few I think are most likely:

• 48 other states have some form of legal concealed carry. Some of them have a form that's practically indistinguishable from our "no way, no how" system, but most are shall-issue, including most of our neighbors. Of Illinois' neighboring states, Iowa is may-issue, Wisconsin is as weird as us, and Missouri, Kentucky and Indiana are all shall-issue states. It's working for them. It would work for us.
• Sheriffs, unlike Chiefs of police, have to stand for election. That means they have to think about what the voters want.
• Sheriffs, unlike Chiefs of police, do not have to get appointed to their positions by Mayors. That means they don't have to suck up to weasels.
• Sheriffs, unlike Chiefs of Police, are not represented in Illinois by an organization bought and paid for by the Joyce Foundation. I'm just sayin', is all.
• Last and most, the Sheriffs Association has been talking to some very forward-thinking Illinois gun-rights lobbyists from the ISRA and IllinoisCarry. I'm not going to name names here because I'd probably leave someone out, but these people are pulling the freight for gun owners in Illinois.
  

The Pervocracy: Power.

(For most people, the link is NOT SAFE FOR WORK. But it's worth a look around; Holly really puts a great deal of thought into her "sex blogging." Labrat reads it, and she's, like, ten times smarter than you. And you people should be working at work and blogrolling at home anyway. Fie on you.)
The Pervocracy: Power.
Guess who's a gun blogger now? The siren call, she is irresistible, no? Actually, now that I think about it, Holly is already writing about sex and EMS . . . so by adding guns, she has completed the trinity. That qualifies her to join the ranks of weirdos like Ambulance Driver.

So, Does This Mean You DON'T Want a Spanking?

It looks like Winnetka, IL has joined three other Illinois towns (Morton Grove, Evanston, and Hale Demar's hometown, Wilmette) in repealing its ban on handguns. On the one hand, that's smart, and I applaud them.

On the other hand, I'm glad Chicago's out there holding the line. Even if Oak Park caves and Chicago is the last municipality with a gun ban in Illinois, I have faith that Chicago will stand strong, if only because Mayor Daley, like an enraged snapping turtle, will lock his jaws and refuse to let go until he is gutted and made into soup (this will be done metaphorically, of course, but it can feel pretty literal when it's a federal judge doing the gutting.) This is important; it means there will be a court decision, and when it's clear that Heller applies to cities outside the "federal enclave" of D.C., these laws will topple all across the country. The trouble for the Mayor Hizzoner Daley is that even though gun rights advocates across the country are openly rooting for him to continue on his current path and take his beating in court, he can't help himself. He just can't let go of that stick. We can say whatever we want. We may tip him off, but it isn't going to save him. He's determined to get his spanking no matter what.

Congratulations, President-Elect Obama . . .

. . . I'll be expecting my Unicorn by the end of January.

It looks like Barack Obama has won the states he had to win to finish John McCain's campaign. Specifically, I'm seeing reports that Ohio and Pennsylvania are being called for Obama. Quite frankly, I'm going to bed, so if there's any miraculous drama, I'll probably miss it.

Congratulations, President-Elect Obama. When 150 million of us are chewing your ass to shreds every day and the Iranians and the Israelis are both screaming at you, try to remember that you wanted this job. You weren't my choice, and I still don't approve of the way a lot of people acted during your campaign, but it looks like you won and that makes you my President.

Try to remember the purpose of your office, the powers of your office, and the limitations of your office. That last one has given Presidents trouble since the beginning.

Congratulations ISRA: CCRKBA Affiliate of the Year

Illinois State Rifle Association: CCRKBA Affiliate of the Year

"Out of hundreds of eligible organizations, the ISRA is the only group to have received this award twice. The ISRA was first recognized as Citizens Committee for the Right To Keep and Bear Arms Affiliate of the Year in 1999. This year's award was presented to ISRA President Don Moran and ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson by CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb during the Gun Rights Policy Conference held this past weekend in Phoenix, AZ."

Years ago, when I first got involved in the concealed carry battle here in Illinois, I took a look around to see the lay of the land. Who were the players? How was it going so far? What was the strategy of each side, and where was it working? What I saw was not encouraging. The "other side," such as it was, was disorganized and often foolish, but they had the advantage of inertia. They didn't really have to convince most people that the "bear arms" part of "keep and bear arms" was outmoded and best ignored; most people in Illinois didn't even realize that they'd ever visited a state where law-abiding citizens carried firearms for their own defense. They were certain that decent people had never done such a thing in Illinois. If they gave it a little thought, they often decided that it wouldn't be so bad if, say, a woman who'd been threatened by her abusive ex-husband were allowed to carry her gun with her, but generally the leapt from there to the assumption that there was some sort of license such a person could get by showing need, perhaps from a judge or something. That isn't true in Illinois, but the thought satisfied most people, in my experience, and they were loath to give it up.

My side, on the other hand, had an uphill battle. It wasn't rolling the boulder up the hill that was stopping us so much as budging the damn thing out of its rut to get it moving in the first place. And "our" solution to the problem seemed to involve fighting amongst ourselves to determine the strongest group (we'd know which one was strongest because it would be the only one that survived all the infighting) and then wishing what was left of that biggest dog the best of luck in taking on not only anti-gun activists, but a fiercely anti-gun Democrat political machine in Chicago, a pragmatically anti-gun Republican political machine in the state government, and of course our old friends inertia, apathy and general ignorance. This did not strike me as a wise course, but I still got sucked into it. In those days there were, I think, about the same number of pro-gun organizations in Illinois, but some have gone by the wayside and some have sprung up in the meantime. Maybe I'll profile each in a post of its own soon; that's better than having to think of a topic.

In those days, the ISRA was the bogeyman for many Illinois groups. The national NRA groups wanted nothing to do with Illinois, and the ISRA was more or less on its own. The perception, fair or not, was that the ISRA was more a shooting club for ISRA members around Chatsworth, IL with a pretty good record of defensive lobbying--you might say many of us thought the ISRA was bitterly clinging to its guns, but not going out on the offense. Now, having gone out on the offense a little bit myself, I've begun to realize the difference between criticizing others for their lack of initiative and taking the initiative yourself. But, at the time, it was a widespread perception. Probably still is, actually, for a lot of people, but I believe those people are missing out.

Well, we've come a long way since those days. The ISRA today is reaching out to bloggers (some of you might have gotten here from my new ISRA link; it accounts for about 5% of my traffic lately, which is pretty productive) and to internet forums like Illinois Carry. They're working closely with Guns Save Life and these new internet resources, and it's starting to show. We still haven't budged that boulder out of its rut, but it's starting to feel like more people are pushing on the rock instead of pushing their personal rivals out of the way. The ISRA deserves a lot of credit for that turnaround, and this week the CCRKBA gave them an award. I hereby bestow the Armed School Teacher's Seal of Approval, which I'm sure will have everyone sighing a big sigh of relief at ISRA Headquarters, because, really, what's the point of an award from the CCRKBA if you don't get my approval?
Actually, they got my approval months ago, when I bought memberships for my entire family. I don't agree with the ISRA leadership every time, but everyone in my house is an ISRA member, so take that for what it's worth.

The Jarrett Took 2nd at Nationals in Limited . . . .

Pretty cool. And Tomasie apparently won the USPSA Nationals in Limited at his first Nats appearance ever? How does a guy do something like that? If I made the Nationals I'd be puking my guts out in the starting box. It would not be part of an elaborate strategem.

I can't help but think of two things The Jarrett said at the blogger weekend:

1. "Remember this: 3rd place NEVER gets 2nd place money!" and . . .

2. "I was IPSC world champion once, I've won the nationals nine times, and I won't bother boring you with how many times I've come in second since nobody cares about that stuff but me anyway."

All those guys have every right to be proud. I mean, it's not like they placed first in a classifier at the Thursday Night League with the Springfield Tactical Shooters, but it's still a pretty big match and all. Nothin' to be ashamed of.

Mawwage . . .

My cousin Steve made an honest woman out of the mother of his son yesterday. Unfortunately, it was too late for her to do much about his reputation. . . . but whaddya gonna do? They put on one of the best weddings I've ever attended, which is important, because Lord knows no wedding is complete without the Armed School Teacher's Seal of Approval. Well, Steve and Sarah, I gladly bestow The Seal upon your nuptials.

"NEPOTISM!" I can hear some of you declaring shrilly. Well, you are wrong, sirs und madames. Here's what set the Steve and Sarah wedding apart and won the coveted prize:

• Sanity. A small, casual wedding held in a beautiful, shady backyard. No band, no frantic last-minute crises. Two groomsmen (Steve's brothers, Daryl and Daryl) and two bridesmaids. Kids allowed to play, guests in shorts.
  
• No DJ, no band. Here's a crazy idea--let's NOT pay a stranger to play the Chicken Dance and Cotton Eye Joe. Let's just put the speakers next to the kegs and pop in a CD of music the bride and groom actually like. We won't get to see grandma's face when "Smack My Bitch Up" comes on, but there are always costs to any plan.
• No drunk idiots. Beer was enjoyed by many, but nobody got drunk and yelled anything unfortunate in front of my kids. I liked that. We were among the last of the old folks/parents to trickle out about dusk or so, and the "All My Rowdy Friends" set was arriving as we left. I'm sure the kegs were empty and the staggering was mighty by midnight, but that's their business. My kids were home in bed by that time.
• Most importantly, I don't think there was one person at this wedding who didn't have fun and wasn't happy for Steve and Sarah. It's hard to stay bitter and bitchy when you're eating wedding cake in the grass on a beautiful day.
  

Congratulations, Steve. We've come a long way since the days of putting our heads through drywall and flooding your mom's back yard.. Sarah, I have no sympathy for you; you knew what you were getting into. Good luck!